| The hardest rockin' concert
The best concert in recent months was a rocking affair with Fu Manchu and guests Speedealer and Brand New Sin at the MacEwan Hall Ballroom on July 8, 2002.
The uniform of choice for the unsavoury six-man troupe known as Brand New Sin was composed of denim vests, tattooed biceps, burly muttonchops and hair that resembled a mop from a gas station men’s room. Replete with three guitarists, the heaviest band to hit Calgary since TAD turned up their bass amp until it left the realm of the audible and could only be felt in the human diaphragm.
Next up: Speedealer. With no remarkable physical characteristics to detract from their performance, Speedealer really got the show rockin’ with their Motorhead-meets-Slayer brand of speed metal. Jeff Hirshberg and crew looked like skinny rednecks compared to the preceding act, their combined weight being an estimated third of Brand New Sin’s.
And finally: Fu Manchu. Overall tonnage may have been a consideration for Canada Customs officials, who had repeatedly thwarted Fu Manchu’s attempts to enter into the Great White North in the past. Looking slim and trim in golf shirts, Fu Manchu finally made a successfully California crossing, but not without a price – they were forbidden to bring any merchandise with them. "Our drummer Brant had to smuggle these in his ass!" exclaimed vocalist-guitarist Scott Hill, hurling a handful of stickers into the pit.
Fun and funky, Fu Manchu delivered the goods. Grooving through their stoner rock oeuvre with style and enthusiasm, they treated us to favourites like "Boogie Van" as well as a bong load of smokin’ cuts from their new album. And when the Fu played "King of the Road," it was a pull-out-your-earplugs-and-close-your-eyes kind of experience. |
